Blow-out preventer



e 16, 1936.l R, NEUHAUS BLow-oUT PREVENTER Filed Dec. 2o, 1932 Hall/2k )VEFIIJVIIJ INVENTOR MTQRNEY Patented June 16, `1936 UNETEB STATES BLOW-OUT PREVENTER Ralph Neuhaus,

Houston,

Tex., assigner to Hughes 'Tool Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application December y20, 1932, Serial No. 648,029

8 Claims.

My invention relates to blowout preventers for use on well head equipment in preventing the blowout of gas from the well being operated.

In drilling a well into formations having gas under pressure therein, care must be taken to prevent the gas from blowing up around the drill stem and causing the well to get out of control. Various expedients have been adopted for preventing the gas from blowing the materials from the well hole, such as weighting the ushing fluid with pulverized materials of heavy specic gravity, and also by the provision of apparatus which may be closed around the drill stem at the upper end of the well to prevent the escape of iiuids past the closing apparatus.

My invention is designed to close off the space between the drill stem and the casing whenever danger of blowout arises in order that no iluid can escape outside the drill stem.,

It is an object of the invention to provide a blowout preventer of this character so constructed as to provide an effective seal for liiuid attempting to escape about the drill stem or tube.

I desire to provide a blowout preventer of the type in which opposite rams are moved into contact with the drill stem, and to provide on said rams a separate packing about the interior pipe or drill stem and another packing for packing oli? above the rams against the escape of fluid which has passed upwardly around the rams.

The invention contemplates particularly the provision of a stationary downwardly projecting ange on the preventer about the inner pipe or drill stem against which a seal may be made which will effectively shut oi the escape of fluid -around the rams.

It is well known that it is.diflicult to form a seal around a stationary cylindrical surface, where no pressure can be exerted radially against said surface. My invention involves'the forming of the seal to prevent the escape of fluid past the ram at the forward face thereof so that said packing may be compressed against a stationary baie and by its compression form a close and stationary seal. y A

In the drawing herewith, Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section :through a blowout preventer employing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ram employed with my invention.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a blowout preventer I having at its lower end a radial iiange 2 adapted to be bolted to a mating flange upon the casing by means of clamping bolts extending through openings 3 in said flange. While this is a preferred form, it is to be understood that the usual threaded connection may also be employed if desired, to secure said body I upon the upper end of the well casing.

The body I has a vertical pasage 4 there- 5 through and is formed with a threaded socket 5 at its upper end to connect with a casing head or some further extension ,on the casing. The body of the preventer is approximately crossshaped in general contour. vThere are two opposite horizontal extensions 6 and l upon the body of the preventer which have interior chambers or recesses 8 therein, approximately rectangular in cross-section.l There is thus a chamber at each side of the vertical passage 4 through the 15 body and within each o said chambers may be housed a ram 9 constructed as shown in Fig. 2.

The outer end of each chamber 8 is closed by a plate I0 which may be connected with the body of the blowout preventer by bolts II extending through opposed iianges on the body and the plate. Said plate 'has an outwardly extending neck or bonnet I2 thereon, through which an operating stem I3 may extend. A stuiiing box is provided at the end of said bonnet about the stem v to form a seal therewith. Said stuiling box comprises a packing member I3, a gland I4, and a threaded cap I5 by means of which the gland may be compressed against the packing.

On the interior of the body of the preventer I have formed ay downwardly extending annular flange I6 which is of the same interior diameter as the passage 4 through the ylower part of the body. It extends downwardly around the upper end of the vertical passage to obscure the upper portion of the interior chambers 8. It forms a stationary stop ange against which the rams may contact in their operation, as will be presently described.

The construction of the rams will be best seen from Fig. 2. Each ram is a rectangular block of metal' having on its outer side, away from the pasage through the body, a slot or recess I9 which is cross-shaped as viewed from above, and provides a channel 20 to receive the head 2| upon 45 the operating shaft I3. On the forward face of the ram is a senil-circular recess 22 shaped to fit about the drill stem or tube 23. It will be noted that the forward face is recessed more vdeeply toward the upper side as shown at 24 in 50 Fig. 1, this portion being adapted to engage` against the flange I6 previously described. Below this recessed portion 24 the forward end of the ram is adapted to contact with the drill stem and for this purpose is extended forwardly be- 56 yond the upper shoulder 24 as shown at 25 to engage said stem.

Each of the engaging surfaces 24 and 25 of the ram is provided with packing material 26. This packing material is a compressible composition such as rubber and is adapted to be compressed against the surface with which it contacts. 'I'he packing projects slightly from the forward face of the ram so that it may engage the stationary stem or flange and form a seal therewith. It is molded within a recess in the face of the ram, the said recess being of greater width on the inner face so that the same will be retained firmly within the forward face of the ram. This packing material is preferably made in one continuous piece. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the upper portion 21 which contacts with the flange I6 is extended back along the flat face 28 of the ram and is then extended down and connects with the lower portion 29 of the strip which contacts with the drill stem.

These rams are advanced to and from position engaging with the stem or pipe 23 by the operating stems I3 previously noted. 'I'he forward end of each stem is threaded at 30 to screw within a` stationary nut 3|. Thus when the stem is rotated by the handle 32 it will screw within the nut 3| moving the shaft and the ram attached thereto either forwardly or backwardly depending upon the direction of rotation of the stem.

In the operation of this device, the ram will ordinarily be retained in open position, but when an emergency arises the stems I3 may be rotated to move the rams forwardly and compress them tightly against the surfaces of the stem or pipe 23 and the flange I6. A

When thus compressed in the forward position of the rams, the packing strips will make a seal through the lower portion 29 with the stem or pipe 23 and at the upper strip 21 against the flange i6. It is then to be noted that fluid coming upwardly from the well may not escape between the ram and the pipe along the surface 29 because the same is completely encircled at that point by the packing strip. -Fluid tending to escape around the rams and upwardly through the body of the preventer will be sealed off by the engagement of the faces of the packing strip 21 engaging against the flange i6. Both of these packing strips are in position to be compressed tightly by the closing of the ram. There will be a close seal at both points and no escape of fluid from the well can occur. Y

This form of device is easily operated for the reason that the fluid pressure from the well may be easily equalized on both ends of the ram. I am enabled to make a loose flt of the rams in the chambers in which they operate so that fluid pressure may be the same on all sides. 'I'his is because I do not have to form a seal about the rams. Escape of fluid in the chambers from the well is prevented by the seal around the flange I6 and this is made tight by the compression of the rams against the same.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a blowout preventer a housing adapted to be mounted on a well casing and having a vertical passage to register with the well casing, opposite chambers intersecting said passage,` opposed rams in said chambers, means to move said rams from a retracted position free of said passage to and from a position contacting with a pipe extending through said passage, compressible sealing material on the forward faces of said rams, and a stationary stop member on said houstending through said passage, compressible seal` ing material on the forward faces of said rams,

and a stationary inwardly extending flange in said housing about said passage at an end thereof against which said rams may contact and 15 compressible material mounted on the forward ends of said rams to engage said pipe and said flange and form seais therewith to prevent passage of fluid about said pipe and flange through the housing. 20

3. In a blowout preventer, a housing having a longitudinal passage for pipe, opposed chambers extending laterally from said passage, rams in said chambers, compressible packing on the forward ends of said rams, said forward faces hav- 25 ing recesses to ilt about said pipe, a downwardly extending annular flange in said housing about said passage positioned to be engaged by said rams, said rams being recessedto engage about said flange, and means to move said rams into 30 sealing engagement with said pipe and said flange, said rams making contact with each other at the sides of said flange and-pipe.

4. In a blowout preventer for wells, a housing adapted for connection in a well casing and hav- 35 ing a vertical passage therethrough, opposite chambers in said housing about said passage, an annular flange in said housing about lthe upper end of said passage, rams in said chambers, means to move said rams toward and away from 40 a pipe extending through said passage, the forward faces of said rams having a recess to receive said pipe and a recess to receive said flange, and packing means on said -forward faces to seal about said pipe and said flange and between said 45 rams.

5. In a blowout preventer for wells, a housing having a. passage therethrough for a pipe, rams in said housing shaped to t about said pipe, a single annular flange projecting downwardly 60 from said housing about said passage against which said rams may engage to seal oiI the escape of fluid through said housing about said rams, sealing devices on said rams to engage said pipe and flange simultaneously and means to move said rams.

6. A blow-out preventer for wells including a housing having a vertical passage for pipe, lateral chambers in said housing, rams movable in said chambers toward and away from said pas- 60 sage, an upper arcuate surface and a lower arcuate surface on the forward end of each ram, a downwardly extending annular flange on said housing about said passage, means on said upper arcuate surface to seal about said flange and 65 means on said lower arcuate surface to seal against said pipe, and means to. move said rams.

7. A housing having a longitudinal passage for pipe, two opposed rams movable in chambers in said housing, an inwardly extending flange in said 70 housing about said passage, and separate arcuate sealing surfaces on the forward end of each ram to simultaneously engage and seal about said flange and said pipe, when said rams are moved inwardly.

8. A blowout preventer including a, housing, a vertical passage therethrough for pipe, lateral chambers at opposed sides of said passage, rams therein having side and end faces, said rams tting loosely between the inner walls of said chambers, and sealing areas on the forward ends of said rams adapted when said rams are closed against said pipe to engage said pipe and said housing and seal offescape of fluid upwardly from said housing while said pipe is in said passage, the fluid pressures at the upper and lower sides of said rams being balanced at al1 times.

RALPH NEUHAUS. 

